NOTES ON CORNISH CRUSTACEA. 



289 



coast it has been dredged in 10 to 15 fathoms at Zennor, in 

 St. Ives Bay (Vallentin), and off Chapel Porth, St. Agnes. It 

 is locally common around Padstow, and two have been taken at 

 low spring-tide near Bude. At Scilly it has been obtained in 

 shallow water in Pentle Bay, and dredged in 20 fathoms in Crow 

 Sound and half a mile south of Penninis. Females in berry appear 

 from January to May. The beautiful Velvet Crab, P. puber (L.), 

 is, on the whole, common under stones between tidemarks and in 

 shallow water on rocky beaches along the south coast, except at 

 the Dodman, the Lizard, and west of Lamorna. On the north 

 coast it occurs at Zennor, is not very common at St. Ives in 

 12 fathoms (Vallentin), and has been taken twice at Watergate 

 Bay. At Scilly it is fairly common along the more protected 

 shores. In Gerrans Bay a few have been dredged in 15 fathoms, 

 and in Mount's Bay it has been taken in still deeper water. 

 Females in berry are usually common from March to the 

 beginning of June. 



The Marbled Swimming Crab, P. marmoreas, Leach, beauti- 

 fully decorated all over the carapace with a variable but symme- 

 trical mosaic-like design in buff, deep red, and various shades of 

 brown, is, when fresh, one of the most attractive of British 

 Crabs. It is very local on the south coast and at Scilly, 

 occurring for the most part on clean sand and sandy gravel in 

 25 to 45 fathoms, though occasionally dredged in Carrick Roads 

 and elsewhere in Falmouth Harbour in 10 to 14 fathoms, in 

 Gerrans Bay in 6 to 8 fathoms, and has been twice found alive 

 at spring- tide low- water mark on Pendower beach. It is plenti- 

 ful on a small patch in 30 fathoms S.S.E. of Polperro, in 

 45 fathoms due east of Helford River ; and occurs sparingly to 

 the west of Boa Rock, Mount's Bay, and to the south of the 

 Wolf. It occurs also in trawl- refuse at Porthleven, at Meva- 

 gissey, and at Scilly. The closely allied species P. holsatus, 

 Fabr., is more generally distributed on a sandy bottom from low- 

 water down to 14 fathoms, but has never been taken in quantity. 

 It occurs in 5 fathoms on Queens Ground and Cawsand Bay 

 (M. B.A.); in shallow water, Whitsand Bay East; close to 

 St. George's Island, Looe ; off Polkerris Harbour, Tywardreath ; 

 in Mevagissey Bay, Gerrans Bay, and irregularly but very 

 sparingly in Mount's Bay, and in Nanjizal Bay, Land's End. 



